Subbing/ hiring a sub, etc

Curious how you all charge and contract with others, either subbing or hiring a sub.

I know you have to be sure the sub has WC on all employees to be sure you don't end up responsible, you have to have a subcontractor's agreement, and have some specific criteria met so that they are a Sub and not an Employee.

Do you generally get your regular day rate with the equipment you supply? What do you charge as a sub compared to what you would expect as an employee.



I have a friend, Andy, of a friend, Ryan, in Eastern Washington that has a winter tree season who is working way too hard, trying to learn on his own, basically, with NO INTERNET (I'm sure he'd make up the bill easily with information he could glean, if he was so inclined. Of course it would take time, and he has kids and a working farm).

Andy and I contemplated me or me and Ryan going over there, 5 hours away, and doing some work during my slow period (Ryan's slow in construction work this time of year). Andy has a gypsy wagon (little primitive guest cabin essentially). I wouldn't mind. I'd be working with/ for him, but also training him. Presumably, I'd take all my gear that fits in my pick-up (basically no chipper and chip truck, or trailer for several days/ one work week.


I'd be interested in letting some people do a working vacation, but at the moment don't have any extra accommodations. I now I did for a long time, and others do have beds in their rigs (mine was a van, travelling the west). I would consider getting a cab-over camper for general use, guest accomodations, and accomodations for a traveling climber. What have you all done with someone traveling in from out of area, like RangerDanger, as an example. PMs are fine in this specific regard, or if RD and the company owner care to share in the open, that would be cool, too.



thoughts?

We do the sub thing regularly out here. I had a good friend who just moved to the mainland who I subbed as a climber on bigger projects almost weekly. He was great to have working with us, as he had all his own gear knew how to do the job efficiently and was awesome running ropes when I had to do trickier rigging work. I paid him anywhere from $200-400 day depending on what type of work we were doing. He filed his own income and state taxes based on the money I paid him and I 1099 him at the end of the year.

When I sub out myself as just a climber with saw and climbing/rigging equipment I usually go for around $300/day. I don't like doing it much because I make better money when I'm running the company. Now I have a lot of inquiry from other companies trying to rent me and the spider lift out. I'm hesitant because it's the tool I use for an advantage so renting it to competition seems counterproductive, plus we are slammed with work so I don't feel the need. I would probably rent it out 800-1000/day if I was going to go that route.

jp

Sean, seems like it calls for a rather special arrangement. Someone that can safely assist you without the complication of other things going on elsewhere. and the living arrangements, as you say. Hard physical work, guess if you are young and flexible. A place to proper relax after work sure does seem essential. If you are getting help and training, having a good place where someone can stay, say a living quarters behind your own is great. That is how olden day apprenticeships often used to be, limited wages, but living accommodations and food was covered. Husbands for daughters was sometimes found that way as well. Hate to even mention it though...

The apprenticeship-ish part would be on his jobs on his side of the state.

I have thought of building a guest cabin. The gypsy wagon is a cabin built on a tandem axle trailer, so very portable.

$300 with rigging sounds too cheap. Rigging isn't cheap and wears out faster than a 200t.

I always wanted to setup a cool camp like thing in our yard for traveling climbers. I think people would be stoked to come to hawaii with the difference in trees compared with the mainland. The hard part is the cost of airfare and the travel time to get out here. Hopefully one day I'll be able to develop something...

jp

Great idea, Jon, and they speak English in Hawaii! You have some funny sign language though...

treesandsurf said:

...I think people would be stoked to come to hawaii with the difference in trees compared with the mainland...

jp

Click to expand...

F' YA they would.


A working vacation. If a person could have some time to work and some time to play, it might end up paying for itself.

I sub for two guys and vise versa. All of us have each others insurance certificates just for proof. One guy pays me anywhere from 50/75 an hour and the other guy we just barter time and maybe money depending on the job and equipment used and I pay around 400 as a day rate some times more or less.